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Author Archives: James Wilmore

The untapped talent pool that could give contractors the edge

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A neurodiverse workforce can ‘literally think differently’. And with construction's skills crisis set to be exacerbated by Brexit and the COVID-19 crisis, James Wilmore speaks to the experts who see a potential talent pool and opportunity for the industry to grasp

“With dyslexia, you have a different way of looking at…

The battle over low-carbon roads

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The Budget pledged £27bn to improve and extend England’s road network, but critics have suggested this is at odds with climate change. What can the construction sector do to make our roads greener?

Rishi Sunak’s debut Budget brought some much-needed certainty for the industry with a headline pledge to spend £640bn…

How are contractors dealing with debt addiction?

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Banks are still reeling from Carillion’s collapse and the industry is feeling the pinch. Where do tier ones go from here and has there been a more vigilant approach to finance reporting since?

Two years on from Carillion’s collapse, the aftershocks are still being felt. While the firm’s demise may not…

Revealed: Minister misses a full year of Construction Leadership Council meetings

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Exclusive: Government ministers have not been present at any of the six Construction Leadership Council (CLC) meetings held in 2019, sparking renewed fears that the industry is being ignored. The 13-strong group, membership of which was overhauled in 2015, was launched by the government two years previously with a mission…

The case of the missing minister: What next for the CLC?

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Set up by the government in 2013 to drive improvements in the industry, the Construction Leadership Council has since been serially snubbed by ministers. CN asks whether the CLC has a future

As industry figures gathered in early November for this year’s sixth and final meeting of the Construction Leadership Council (CLC),…

Two-thirds of best-paid bosses bag pay rise in 2018

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Two-thirds of the industry’s best-paid bosses received a pay rise last year despite increased scrutiny of executive salaries, Construction News research has revealed. Our analysis showed 13 of the 20 highest-rewarded executives at publicly listed firms enjoyed an increase in their overall packages, analysis of latest annual reports showed. Research…

The 20 best-paid construction plc bosses revealed

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Leading construction bosses at the top listed firms have benefited from increased pay over the past year, in contrast to their counterparts in other sectors

(Figures based on companies’ 2018 results) *The final compensation package figures include bonus payments, pension allowance, shares, long-term incentive plans. PLCs taken from the annual…

Galliford helps Manchester’s £1bn airport ambitions take flight

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Galliford Try's work on the taxiways is gathering pace, as James Wilmore gets airside to see how the contractor is tackling the challenge of laying concrete amid a live airport environment

Project: Manchester Airport Transformation Programme Client: Manchester Airport Group Contract value: £55m Main contractor: Galliford Try Concrete paving: Gill…

Intu dazzles Trafford Centre shoppers with Vinci’s glass roof and floor

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Project: Barton Square, Trafford Centre Client: Intu Contract value: £52m Main contractor: Vinci Contract type: JCT Design and Build Structural engineer: Cameron Darroch Associates M&E consultant: Hoare Lea Project start: August 2018 Project end: March 2020 How do you handle being the subject of not one, but two failed takeover…

Balfour lays foundations for future of engineering at University of Manchester

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Electron microscopes, a two-million-volt lightning-strike generator and an anechoic chamber are all being incorporated into a new £400m campus, as the university looks to the future. James Wilmore went to have a look.

Project: Manchester Engineering Campus Development (MECD) Client: University of Manchester Contract value: £287m Main contractor: Balfour Beatty…